Rt. 17 traffic signal upgrade topic of April 30 hearing

A plan to upgrade and coordinate the traffic signals along Route 17 from the Coleman Bridge to Gloucester Court House will be the subject of a design public hearing next week.

The Virginia Department of Transportation hearing will be held from 5-7 p.m. next Wednesday, April 30 at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point.

All interested persons are invited to attend the hearing and share their thoughts about ways to improve traffic flow along the busy Route 17 corridor, VDOT said.

The upgrade, which involves the installation of some new traffic signals and readjusting timing mechanisms on others, is estimated to cost approximately $2.2 million, according to VDOT spokesperson Kelly Hannon.

The current plan does not include any major road construction, Hannon said, but is seen as a way to improve traffic flow, especially during peak travel times, along the county’s main roadway.

Traffic count along Route 17, from Gloucester Point to the Court House area, is in excess of 30,000 vehicles a day, according to 2012 figures, Hannon said.

If the project proceeds as anticipated, construction might begin late this year or early next, with completion expected by late 2015.